Well, after eight years, it’s finally here: Apollo, Nancy Keystone’s ambitious, three-part play about the Nazi scientists who started the US space program, the atrocities they committed in pursuit of the V-2 rocket, the man who eventually exposed them, and that other great struggle of the 60s, the civil-rights movement, opened Friday at Portland Center Stage. It’s an epic work, both in length (nearly four hours) and scope, and, though I have a few gripes with the final portion of the show, it’s a tremendously moving production. I hope tickets will sell briskly enough to allow PCS to bring us more of this sort of work in the future. My review will run here on Wednesday; in the meantime, here’s a trailer:
In other PCS-related news, the Heathman Hotel is offering a promotional package for the filthy rich theater patrons out there (there must be some, right?). The $5,000 “patron of the arts” package includes dinner for two, prepared personally by Philippe Boulot, an overnight stay in the Grand Suite, box seats for a show at PCS (PCS has box seats?), a backstage tour of the Gerding Theater, an autographed poster by the cast of whatever show you see, transportation to and from the theater, breakfast for two and a $3,000 donation to the Theater’s development fund. Of course, you could just make the donation, but what fun would that be?
In still other PCS-related news, the theater and WW are sponsoring a short film contest to promote the company’s next show, Fin Kennedy’s How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found. They (and we) want to know what really pisses you off, in 60 seconds or less. I have no involvement in the promotion—it’s an advertising thing—but the prize is pretty enticing: a $100 gift card to Kells, $50 to Sweet Masterpiece Chocolates and four tickets to the show. Runners up get two tickets and $50 at Kells. Entering is easy: just upload your video to Youtube, send us a message with the url through our contests page, and you’re done. We’ll accept videos through late January.
One the topic of How to Disappear Completely: It’s a really fascinating script, inspired by the alarmingly high number of British citizens who go missing every year, many of them at their own volition. Staging it must be a nightmare: the stage directions call for dozens of locations, from Underground stations to bathrooms to an ocean-side pier. I don’t envy the task the production designers have before them. Also, the cast looks great.
Moving on to other theaters: the Brody Theater, one of Portland’s most robust improv groups, lost its home in outer Northwest to the inexorable march of progress in 2006. They made do with a space downtown for two years, but now they’ve got a home of their own again, at 16 NW Broadway. This time, they have a liquor license. The Brodys are holding a housewarming party this weekend, starting with Theatresports and a reception at 8 pm Friday. Tickets are $10.
Finally, I’m curious to see the current exhibit at Bullseye Gallery: “A translation of Samuel Beckett’s play using glass as the medium,” conceived by the art and architecture departments at PSU. What, I wonder, does ennui look like?
I went to hear the speech of Wernher Von Braun in 1973 at Kent State University during Apollo 13. I wanted to see the man who had helped bring about the US Space Program from Mercury, Gemini to Apollo. The man who had been friends with Walt Disney, Ike and Kennedy. It was later I found out that Von Braun belonged to the Nazi SS, been friends of Himmler and Rudolph. Other revelations that the Nazi rocket program was an SS program and murdered Jews to build it. It’s good that the play will reveal the truth to younger generations of Americans of the real Von Braun. Like other good Nazis, Von Braun was efficient, intelligent and energetic, with a clear vision and a dream, by any necessary means.